For All Seasons
by Knife Hand
Summary: Two soldiers look back on events that happened 26 years ago, in another life and how they came to be the people that they are, with and without the Eva’s.


Title: For All Seasons  
  
Chapter: Prologue: The Lieutenant and the Sargent  
  
Author: Knife Hand  
  
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated  
  
Spoilers: None, maybe all.  
  
Rating: R  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Eva. I would buy the show, and Rei, but I am broke.  
  
Summary: Two soldiers look back on events that happened 26 years ago, in another life and how they came to be the people that they are, with and without the Eva's.  
  
AN: In this fic, Rei is not a Clone, nor is she related to Shinji in any way shape or form. And for the morons who have screamed S/A at me in some of my other fics this is for you. REI NOT RELATED TO SHIJI!!! GET OVER IT!!! This fic does have a specific paring that will be revealed in the first chapter, if you don't like it, then stop reading and go somewhere else, please don't flame. It's just annoying and if you do it on principal you could end up looking a fool. Also it's AU. Ok, I think that's enough of a rant, on to the fic.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The room, buzzing with conversation, was filled with more stars than the night's sky. There were more Generals present at this party than at any in recent years. Almost a hundred Lieutenants were running around serving drinks, except one. Hidden away in a corner, as if uncomfortable to be there, stood a Lieutenant and a Sargent, but unlike everyone else present, they were not in Class A Dress Uniforms, instead they stood comfortably in jungle camouflage BDU's, with sidearms.  
  
"I don't know why they keep inviting us to these damn things." the Lieutenant said.  
  
"Because if we had taken all those promotions, we would be Generals by now, and it is expected for Generals to attend." Came the quiet, feminine voice of the Sargent.  
  
Both had lean and strong physiques and eyes that showed they had seen more in their forty years than most of the rest of the room combined. Their battlefield mannerisms subtly indicated that they would feel more comfortable with rifles in their hands than the champagne glasses that they currently held. This party had some official reason, however most of the brass had shown up to see wether the Lieutenant and the Sargent would accept their latest promotion, which of course they hadn't. The Lieutenant looked over at his second-in-command, and wife of over twenty-two years, and inclined his head towards the exit.  
  
"Let's get out of here." He said.  
  
They made their way to the exit, skilfully avoiding being drawn into conversations with people officially ranked as their "Superiors". The "Rejection Ceremony", as it had been called for many years now, had occurred hours ago and they were looking forward to skipping the rest of the party, which was mostly politics.  
  
The Lieutenant and the Sargent were recognised as the unrivalled best field commanders in the entire UN and the best strategic planners as well. After the seventeenth consecutive refusal of promotion by the pair of them, the upper Generals had passed a standing order that in combat situations, any orders given by the Lieutenant and the Sargent to units other than their own Platoon, were to be considered to be orders from a "Superior officer" and, after some of the semi disastrous battles where they had cut in with orders that had salvaged the battle or saved a lot of lives, everyone was thankful of that fact. Their Platoon had become the most sought after combat assignment in the UN, with more than a few of the General that had attended the party having been in it at some point in their career.  
  
Having made it away from the party and into their UN issue car, the Lieutenant and the Sargent sat in the back, finally starting to relax after the tension of the party.  
  
"Take us back to camp." The Sargent ordered.  
  
"Yes, Commander." The driver, one of their Platoon's privates said.  
  
"We should never have let Mills tell that story or let the new guys hear it." The Lieutenant said.  
  
"Want to turn around and chew him out? I saw him talking with some other two stars." The Sargent said.  
  
"Negative. That would probably prompt him to tell the Generals, and then they would be calling us both 'Commander'."  
  
They sat in silence for a while, watching the scenery pass.  
  
"Did you ever imagine we would end up here? Back when all this started?" The Lieutenant asked.  
  
The Sargent looked at her lifelong friend and companion, her commanding officer and her Husband.  
  
"No. Never." She replied.  
  
"Me neither." He admitted then paused. "I love you."  
  
"I know, Shinji. I know and I love you too." The Sargent replied.  
  
Shinji Ikari, now a far cry from the boy who had first piloted Eva Unit 01, looked across at his wife. He was tall, for a Japanese man, and while his brown hair was cut short and he was clean shaven, he still projected a rugged and dangerous aura. His blue eyes had hardened over the years and his once slight and fragile looking frame was now covered in lean muscles and faded battle scars.  
  
"I know, Rei."  
  
Rei Ikari, having given up her maiden name of Ayanami twenty-two years prior, looked back at her husband. Her body had matured, but she was still a slight woman, but she had that unique mixture of hand and soft flesh that only occurred in fit and flexible women. Her pale blue hair was kept in a short fringe at the front but was long in back and pulled into a ponytail. Her economic but graceful movements along with her pale blue hair and red eyes gave her an exotic beauty, but it left no doubts that she was as deadly as her husband.  
  
One Christian private had once commented that she looked the image of the biblical Angels. Being somewhat of an artist, the private had presented a portrait of Rei, dressed in the silver armour of the Angels, with large white feathered wings, sword raised against a Demon, supposedly set during the rebellion of Lucifer on the heavenly plain. Although not all of the Platoon held Christian beliefs, they all agreed with the sentiment and as a result, the drawing had been placed in the Mess tent. It had also inspired the Unit Patch, which consisted of a breastplate with attached wings, overlapped by an inverted sword, representative of the Greek "Sword of Damocles", the sign of impending disaster and the preciousness of fate.  
  
"The replacements should be arriving tomorrow." Rei said quietly.  
  
Even after all these years, Rei's voice was still quiet and on occasion soft. Many found it worse getting a reprimand by Rei in her quiet yet firm voice than being yelled at by other big, burly Sargeant's. She made you feel ashamed of yourself and disappointed that you had failed her and as a result, few ever repeated a mistake and most tried harder in all aspects after being chewed out by Rei.  
  
"Sometimes I miss the simplicity." Rei stated as the car neared the camp.  
  
"Huh?" Shinji said, missing the reference.  
  
"Us verses the Angels." Rei clarified.  
  
"Yeah. Simple yet complex." Shinji admitted.  
  
As they got out of the car, they were met by a large, forty-five year old Sargent, who instantly saluted.  
  
"How was the party, Commander?" Sargent White asked.  
  
"Boring, as usual." Shinji said, returning the salute. "How's the watch coming?"  
  
"No problems." White replied.  
  
The camp was set up in a clearing in the woods outside the military base where the party had been held. It was custom for the Platoon never to set up camp in any base except their own, which had started in the early days when Shinji and Rei were more recognised as the Eva Pilots than by their military career. White had been with the Platoon since the beginning and was a close personal friend of the Commanders and their family.  
  
"Yui will be with the replacements tomorrow, won't she?" White asked.  
  
"Yes." Rei replied.  
  
Deter White smiled; looking forward to seeing his 'niece', the Ikari's eldest. Yui Ikari would be the youngest person to join the Platoon in the last fifteen years, the Commanders having decided that their daughter only needed six months experience out of basic, rather than the requisite years for other candidates. No one in the Platoon felt particularly inclined to argue, as most of them had watched or help raise the girl, and they knew that if she had anywhere near as much talent as her parents, she too would one day command the best Platoon in the UN Forces, and they would gladly follow her.  
  
TBC. 


End file.
